Planooraph co



P. NOTENBOOM.

FRUIT SORTIN G MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-26. 1916.

1,310,921. Patented July 22,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Haber Abbemboom 1; venl'or' fib liomey THE COLUMBIA PLANomzAPII c0., WASHINGTON, n. C-

P. NOTENBOOM.

FRUIT SORTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-'26. 191s.

Patented July 22, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

fefer WOfemboom [venior WASHINGTON, 1).. C.

In the machines of the types known the.

fruits were more or less liable to be bruised or damaged on-their way through the machine. This disadvantage was particularly met with in case of soft, sappy fruits such as tomatoes, so that the senders very often suffered considerable loss through a. great percentage of the fruit having to be refused on arrival, owing to bruises received during the sortlng 1n the machme.

This drawback is avoided in the sorting machine according to this I invention, in which the fruits are sorted according totheir sizes without any danger of getting bruised or damaged and with aspeed excellingthat attained up to thepresentwith any other similar machine.

The construction or form of a machine embodying the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a top-view of the machine, with the arrangement, along which the fruits to be sorted are supplied to the machine, be

ing cut away acrossthe line CC of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line'A-A in Fig. 1, showing the charging gutter in position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line BB in Fig. 2. l I

The charging gutter l is arranged in an inclined position on top ofthe sorting machine. The fruits to be sorted are supplied to the gutter, roll through the opening at the lower end 2 upon the incline 3 and from thls upon the sorting bed 4, which latter too is placed slightly slanting. The sorting bed is provided with a number of holes 6, increasing in diameter from the incline 3 to the end 5 of the bed. The section of these holes varies in accordance with the kind of fruit to be sorted and with the various sizes re- Specification of Letters Patent.

" 'i 1 mnnn s rn'rns arana onnicn.

FRUIT-SORTING MACHINE.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed August 26, 1916. Serial No. 117,041.

quired. For instance, if themachine shall be used for sorting tomatoes, the holes in the sorting bed may suitably receive the following successive sizes: 1%, 1%", 2", 29; and 2% The holes may according to their sizes be divided into sections, for example three rows of holes of the first size, four rows of holes of each ofthe three next bigger sizes and three rows of holes of the last mentioned size. v i

4 The tomatoes, being moved across the sorting bed, in the direction from the incline 3 to the end 5, willsuccessively fall through the holes which correspond with their sizes.

For other kinds of fruit than tomatoes holes of different sizes and arranged in sections each with a suitable number of rows sorting bed is made interchangeable, so that one and the same machine may be made fit for sorting all different kinds of fruits by closed at the front side by means of slides 9.

may naturally be provided. Preferably the On these slides being withdrawn the sorted fruitsroll into the baskets 10, placed underneath the divisions 8. Underneath the sortprovided with an arrangement, bywhich the fruits are caused to move constantly in the longitudinal direction of the bed from the incline 3 to the end 5. This arrangement consists of a number of laths 21, which are moved through slots connecting the holes in the longitudinally situated rows of the sorting bed.

The movement is such, that the fruits which have settled in holes too small for the their respective receptacles.

The laths 21 receive their movement from a crank 13 with which they are at one end rotatably connected, while the other end is loosely fixed to the spindle 14.

Thecrank 13 is operated by means of a handle15 and is at the end provided with a lever 16 of the same length as the crank 13. This lever16 is placed at an angle of 90 in relation to the crank 13.

The lever '16 is revolubly connected to a rod or bar 17 which-again is suspended from the form 18,. fixed to the end of the shaft 19. The shaft 19 again is by means of connecting rods 20 and oscillating suspension rods 22 connected to the spindle 14 of the laths.

By causing the crank 13 to revolve around its axis the laths 21 will partly "oscillate and partly move up and downwardly, whereby they successively will be moved upwardly into the longitudinally arranged slots in the'bed, perform their longitudinal movement through these slots and finally will disappear beneath the surface of the sorting be Y The connecting rods 20, which causethe spindle 14 to perform its up and down motion, being longer than the fork 18, the distance over which the laths at the spindle end 14: will be moved and the speed of this move ment-Will be greater than at the crank-end :13. This arrangement will result to the laths being lifted higher through the slots at the end of the sorting plane than at the beginning. This is of importance as the bigger sizes of the fruits will sink deeper into the large sized holes at the end of the bed, than the small fruits into the small holes at the beginning of the same. 7 i

The quantity oftomatoes sortedwith the machine according to this invention and described above amounts to over two pounds at each revolution of the handle 15.

Assuming the speed at which the handle 15 is operated to be one revolution per second which may be easily attained the machine will be able to sort about 8,000 pounds of fruit per hour without bruising or dam agingsame. I l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newiand desire to secure by Letters Patent is V 1. In a fruit sorting machine,- in which the fruit is passed over a fixed inclined bed formed with a number of sorting holes inwhereby said laths engage any fruit, which may have settled in sorting holes" of too small diameter, at theirlowest point, thus lifting said fruit and causing the same to move along the bed until it reaches the sorting holes of proper diameter.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a fixed inclinedbed formed with a number of sorting holes'of a plurality of laths adapted to be moved through a seriesofslots conneetingthe holes, and means for imparting to said laths a combined reciprocating and vertical movement of such character that said laths travel through a greater vertical distance at the dischargingv end than at the charging. end ofthesortingbed- Y H I v w 3. In a machine-of theclass described, the combination witha fixed inclined. bed

formedfwith' a "number of sorting. holes,

of a plurality of laths adaptedto be moved through a series of..slots connecting the holesya rotating crankto which-said laths travel through ayerticaldist-ance which is greater at the discharging. endof the sort ingbed than at the charging end thereof. 1 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of'two witnesses; y

x y rIETERNoTnnBoo Witnesses: i V H. Y. Koo1 y A. C. Nelson.

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byIaddressing the Commissioner of Patehts,

Washington, vI). 0.? 

